IMoCC – Measure of cultural competence among medical students in the Malaysian context

Abstract

Cultural beliefs and practices impact heavily on health outcomes of patients. Doctors’ ability to deal with such issues in clinical practice, i.e. cultural competence, is widely studied in the west. It has yet to be given due importance in non-western contexts. This study aimed to develop a valid and reliable measure of cultural competence in the Malaysian cultural context and to assess cultural competence among Malaysian medical students. Thirty-five cultural issues faced by Malaysian doctors were identified with a series of interviews to develop a preliminary tool. The responses of students to these cultural issues were evaluated against the extent of inquiry and advocacy based on a theoretical framework of cultural competence. The responses were subjected to statistical analysis to determine the internal structure of the tool and to reduce the number of items in the tool. The final tool (IMU Measure of Cultural Competence – IMoCC) comprised of 22 issues, which deemed to be reliable in the second round of testing. In both tools, student cohorts demonstrated an acceptable level of cultural competence with room for improvement. However, they appeared to learn how to deal with cultural issues primarily through informal means and not in the formal curriculum.

Keywords:

• Cultural competence
• undergraduate
• health professions
• professionalism

Acknowledgements

The IMU supplement is sponsored and supported by IMU Education Sdn Bhd.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.

Additional information

Funding

Joint Committee of Research and Ethics, IMU for providing funds [IMU 420–2018].

Notes on contributors

Madawa Chandratilake

Madawa Nilupathi Chandratilake, MBBS (Colombo), MMEd (Dundee), PhD (Dundee), Professor in Medical Education, International Medical University (IMU), Malaysia, and Professor of Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka.

Vishna Devi Nadarajah

Vishna Devi Nadarajah, BSc (Hons) (Mal), MHPE (Maastricht), PhD (Cambridge), Pro Vice-Chancellor Education, Director of IMU Centre for Education, International Medical University (IMU), Malaysia.

Rosdara Masayuni Binti Mohd Sani

Rosdara Masayuni Binti Mohd Sani, BSc (UKM), MBBS (IMU), MMed (UKM), Lecturer in Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine, International Medical University (IMU), Malaysia.